NIH and opioid response get boost in Senate budget deal

Senate leaders struck a bipartisan agreement on Wednesday that would increase funding for NIH by $2 billion and raise spending meant to address the opioid and mental health crisis by $6 billion over the next 2 years. The White House endorsed the agreement. The House of Representatives is set to conduct a budget vote on Thursday. The increase in NIH funding continues a trend of substantial budget increases for the agency over the last several years. The funding to address the opioid crisis comes after months of little action on the subject. The Trump administration declared it a public health emergency in October but had not directed any new funding toward the effort or explicitly encouraged Congress to do so. Recent proposals from Democrats and Republicans had advocated for between $2 billion and $4.5 billion in additional funding for addiction treatment and prevention each year for the next decade.